The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-12-03
THE GUILE STREAM.

the Gulf Stream beyond the fact that it is
of higher temperature than the main
body of the ocean, and that its current is
favorable to ships going to the north and
adverse to those coming in the opposite
direction?
That it is a majestic river of warm wa
ter flowing for thousands of miles through
the ocean, and having a marked effect on
the climate, sssnd therefore on the Gus.
toms, products,etc. of England and West
ern Europe generally, few realize.
The Cult Stream may be said to have it's
source In the Gulf of Mexico, when it
passes round the Florida Keys,up through
the narrow channel between Florida and
the Bahama banks, and then along the
United States, following in a general
way the trend of the coast and about one
hundred miles from it. This causes it to
| flow in a northeast direction when near
latitude 30 degrees, but as the parallel Of
40 degrees is approached it tends more to
the eastward, gradually leaving the coast,
and Just south of the Grand Banks of
1
| Newfoundland its course is little north
| OF east. At the meridian OF 40 degrees
some authorities hold that the Gulf
Stream ceases to be an independent cur
rent, and that the drift after this longi-
tude is passed is due to the prevailing
westerly and southwesterly winds. Others
are positive that the current, in diminish
ed force is still there, and that its flow is
only augmented by the prevailing winds.
However this may be, it is certain that
some of the heat that can be so easily
spared from the tropics is transferred to
England, Norway, and even up into the
of the economy OF nature. Abundant
demonstration OF this current is found in
the tropical productions that are drifted
to the shores OF Western Europe, and
even further to the northward. Findlay,
in his North Atlantic" mentions place
in the Farce Island, the owner of which
derived a revenue of about five dollars
per month from the drift wood collected
on his land, which he SOLD for fuel The
wood seemed to be fir, and probably
came from America. 1t may be remarked
here that five dollars is much greater
sum to Farce Islander than to citizen
of the United States.
The beneficial effect of this warm cur
rent to Western Europe cannot be too
strongly emphasized. Unjust be remem-
bered, however, that this effect is due
more to the prevailing winds than to the
near approach Of the currents themselves.
The westerly and southwesterly winds
blowing over the Gulf Stream are tenn
pered, and thus the warmth and moisture
of it's current are carried far inland. II
the city of London received no more
heat than that derived from it's position
as regards latitude, its mean winter tenn
perature would be IL degrees, whereas
the winds, laden with warmth bring it up
to 81 degrees, so it is easy to see that ma
ture favors the great city to the extent of
20 degrees every winter. To properly
appreciate the magnitude of this benefit
TO the British Islands, their temperature
may be compared to that OF Newfound-
land, which is several degrees further
May, while John Bull is enjoying the
green grass andssarly flowers, his near
relative, the Blue Nose. is wondering
when the snow will disappear from his
garden and when his harbors will be re-
leased from ice. The benefit to Norway
is even greater than to England, its bays
rarely freezing over even in the hardest
winters. The effect on the polar regions
is to render them open to navigation each
year, and to make existence possible to
the nomadic tribes of Esquimaux found
there. If it were not for this stream the
north Frigid Zone would be, like the
south, solid mass of ice.
According to the american Cyclop@.
dia," the fret mention made of the Gulf
Stream is that in the Journal of the pilot
who accompanied Ponce de Leon on the
voyage in which he discovered Florida in
the year 1913; which shows that its exis-
tence was noticed at very early day
which, indeed, could hardly help from
being the case.
Many causes have at various times
been assigned as the motive for this vast
stream; among these were the supposed
higher level of the Gulf of Mexico, the
quantities of water poured into this Gulf
by the Mississippi and other large rivers,
the effects oftemperature,t the effects OF the
trade winds, the difference of the bsrom-
etric pressure, the differences of density
due to evaporation, and the rotation of
the earth. Without going into the de-
tails of this question, on which scientific
men are by no means united, it is sutfi
cient TO say that the Gulf Stream comes
from one of the last five causes set forth
above, or perhaps from combination of
two or more OF them.
The length of the Gulf Stream from its
starting point south of Florida to Great
Britain is about five thousand miles; its
breadth being at it's start about ninety
five miles; when off Cape Florida, its mar
rowest section, forty-four miles, after
which point is passed it gradually spreads
out until off New York it is probably
three hundred miles wide, and off the
British Isles it must be more than one